yer i want to be music producer but im not sure what they do. in my oppinion i think they make the beats for the song for an artist and they help on how it should sound ummmmm an they help in getting it out there aka public. im not 100% sure. holla bak if u know anything about music production/producing. peace
what does a music producer do??
- Thread starter Lyrikool
- Start date
bennychico11
...
a producer means many things...and it can vary from genre to genre. It used to originally mean someone who directs the band creatively in composing, recording, and playing the song for an album. They can usually be employed by the record label or just someone that the band trusts to help them get their album recorded. They usually have a lot of connections and are very business savvy in the music world. I usually like to joke around in calling them over-glorified band directors....but they also can do a lot more.
In the hip hop world, I believe, a lot of artists began calling themselves producers. These are generally the ones you are familiar with. The REAL big time producers you probably have never heard of as a lot of times they are recording engineers turned producer and all they ever get is a credit on the album. Famous people like Dr. Dre started as an artist first and then started considering himself a producer as he helped other artists get their start. So it can also mean someone who actually puts together some of the music himself on a drum machine or synth.
A record producer has many roles. Don't worry about trying to find a label for yourself and what you do....just do what you do.
Here's the wikipedia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer
In the hip hop world, I believe, a lot of artists began calling themselves producers. These are generally the ones you are familiar with. The REAL big time producers you probably have never heard of as a lot of times they are recording engineers turned producer and all they ever get is a credit on the album. Famous people like Dr. Dre started as an artist first and then started considering himself a producer as he helped other artists get their start. So it can also mean someone who actually puts together some of the music himself on a drum machine or synth.
A record producer has many roles. Don't worry about trying to find a label for yourself and what you do....just do what you do.
Here's the wikipedia definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer
ssscientist
Info you can use...
Join the crowd!Lyrikool said:
Most music producers have no idea what they do either.
Chris Shaeffer
Peavey ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"I don't know.... what do you think?"
(Punchline to the joke: How many producer's does it take to screw in a light bulb? Also a pretty good answer to the thread's question.)
(Punchline to the joke: How many producer's does it take to screw in a light bulb? Also a pretty good answer to the thread's question.
)
brendandwyer
New member
The quintessential producer is George Martin.
Directed the overall feel of the final product of the albums. Was creative in his own rite. Handled the engineers, handled the artists, handled song selection, programing of song order, sits in mix sessions, acts as a liason to the label. I would say that a producer in the true sense of the term is like the manager of the recording of the band.
Directed the overall feel of the final product of the albums. Was creative in his own rite. Handled the engineers, handled the artists, handled song selection, programing of song order, sits in mix sessions, acts as a liason to the label. I would say that a producer in the true sense of the term is like the manager of the recording of the band.
Reggie
PutsTheLotionOnItsSkin
Depends, are we talking "produce-uh" or "producer"?
If you wanna be a produce-uh, just get a drum machine, hit play, and record it somehow. Congrats, you can now impress chicks with your lofty new job title. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.
Producers are typically hired by a band, artist, or label to deliver a marketable record by whatever means necessary. Sometimes they are very hands-on in the music process; sometimes they just know the right people to bring in for the various tasks involved in music-making. They are basically responsible for the overall sound of the record whether they actually touched a knob or not. They may help the band with arrangements, tell the engineers what to do, do the engineering themselves, possibly do the mixes. Producers can typically get a share of the percentage of retail album sales, along with their usual fees. If they are doing actual music creation (such as making hiphop "beats"), then they will take a royalty share for that as well.
If you wanna be a produce-uh, just get a drum machine, hit play, and record it somehow. Congrats, you can now impress chicks with your lofty new job title. Sixty percent of the time, it works every time.
Producers are typically hired by a band, artist, or label to deliver a marketable record by whatever means necessary. Sometimes they are very hands-on in the music process; sometimes they just know the right people to bring in for the various tasks involved in music-making. They are basically responsible for the overall sound of the record whether they actually touched a knob or not. They may help the band with arrangements, tell the engineers what to do, do the engineering themselves, possibly do the mixes. Producers can typically get a share of the percentage of retail album sales, along with their usual fees. If they are doing actual music creation (such as making hiphop "beats"), then they will take a royalty share for that as well.
Chris Shaeffer
Peavey ROCKS!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Sounds like you're talking about the hip hop version of producer.
Hip hop producers are the ones who make the beats. They usually have the technical know-how to record and mix the vocals and what-not to create a finished product. Hence the term "producer."
Ideally, a hip hop producer can talk some one who spits rap or has a nice voice and "produce" an album with them.
Its funny, really, that these days the producers are almost or more popular than the artists... No wonder everyone and their sidekick wants to be a produca these days.
Anyway- its TOTALLY different than the normal use of the word producer in music production.
Hip hop producers are the ones who make the beats. They usually have the technical know-how to record and mix the vocals and what-not to create a finished product. Hence the term "producer."
Ideally, a hip hop producer can talk some one who spits rap or has a nice voice and "produce" an album with them.
Its funny, really, that these days the producers are almost or more popular than the artists... No wonder everyone and their sidekick wants to be a produca these days.
Anyway- its TOTALLY different than the normal use of the word producer in music production.
suntzu1982
You got to funkafize.
desktop:laptop :: big dog:lap dog
Which means that they cost much more money than their counterpart and you get less, twice as much time and money to maintain them and you can't play with it as rough.
Which means that they cost much more money than their counterpart and you get less, twice as much time and money to maintain them and you can't play with it as rough.
Richard Monroe
Well-known member
Yo Lyrikool, welcome to the board! OK, I spent about 3 years trying to figure out the answer to your question, so I'll take a shot at it. First, what a producer is depends on who is writing the checks. Four versions:
1. (old school) The producer is a guy who works for a major record label. He deals with the artist's manager, and directs the project, which will be an album. If the band sucks, and are a pain in the ass to work with, he threatens to quit, and the band most likely gets dropped by the label, because the producer is more important than the band. He is the Romanian gymnastics coach who busts balls, fires people he doesn't like, strokes people he does like, especially if *she* has big tits. He gets paid a lot of money because he knows how to get mediocre bands to make marketable albums. He is a pain in the ass to musicians, tracking engineers, mixing engineers, and mastering engineers. In the end, though, if he's any good, he can get any band, no matter how bad, to record an album *that sells*. The record label and the producer make all the money. The recording artist signs a userous contract that requires them to do a 30 city tour as lead-on for a top bill group. The band actually can make a lot of money touring, until they are drained and wind up at the Betty Ford clinic being treated for exhaustion, drug addiction, and the AIDS they got from some Ho or groupie the producer probably set them up with.
2. The laid-back version- The rich producer gets tired of this crap and *becomes* the record label. He actually seeks out talent and signs them, pays to produce their grammy-winning album, and occasionally even pays them. If you are good enough to sign with such a producer, congratulations. Usually such guys actually sign you because you *are* that good, not just because they can make money off of you. If you are working with George Martin or Al Schmitt, guess what? You really have made it.
3. The new school version.- This guy is an independant contractor, who is hired *by* the talent, instead of the other way around. If you don't like him, you can fire him. His job is to translate the vision of the recording artist into a CD, and help guide them through the process, sort of a recording consultant. He may be a useless waste of money, or a gift from God, worth every penny. He solves problems, and hands out reality checks instead of bank checks.
4. Hip-hop version- He steals beats from mostly copyrighted work, is good with samplers and sequencers, and provides background beats for gangsta-rappers. These have sprouted up by the thousands lately. They usually know nothing about real recording, but will always know where to get good blow. A handful of them actually have produced CD's that sold millions of copies, and once in a while, the recording artists actually see some of the piles of money generated. More often, they are incompetent hustlers who call themselves producers so they can get laid.
In all versions, this is the truth of it. A producer is a project manager, and in this case, the project is a CD. The producer is the hub that all information and all decisions pass through. He deals with the executive producer, who figures out how to pay for all of this. The executive producer usually deals with legal, copyright, work for hire agreements, residuals, mechanical royalties, bookeeping, tax records, duplication, distribution, and marketing. The producer deals with the talent, the tracking, mixing, and mastering engineers (any of whom may also be the producer). He deals with the artistic director, cover art, and the project photographer. Often he must be a vocal coach. In the end, he is really the guy that decides what songs will be on the album, in what order, and which version. He's the guy who can just say, "I don't like that with a telecaster, can I hear it on a Les Paul?"
I can tell you from personal experience that it is a tough job. Imagine flying a vocalist across the country to lay down vocals on a CD and having to tell them, "Thank you for you contribution, but your tracks weren't really compatible with our artistic vision. I'm sorry, but we weren't able to use your tracks." That's how a producer says, "You suck, and now I have to explain to the executive producer why we wasted a bunch of money flying you around. Keep your day job."
Well my day job is registered nurse, and the producer is a lot like the nurse in the hospital. They can't cure your disease (or give you talent). They aren't exactly in charge, but nothing can happen without them. Often they are the ones who have to tell people the things they don't want to hear, and a good one can make everything a little easier, often with a better outcome.-Richie
1. (old school) The producer is a guy who works for a major record label. He deals with the artist's manager, and directs the project, which will be an album. If the band sucks, and are a pain in the ass to work with, he threatens to quit, and the band most likely gets dropped by the label, because the producer is more important than the band. He is the Romanian gymnastics coach who busts balls, fires people he doesn't like, strokes people he does like, especially if *she* has big tits. He gets paid a lot of money because he knows how to get mediocre bands to make marketable albums. He is a pain in the ass to musicians, tracking engineers, mixing engineers, and mastering engineers. In the end, though, if he's any good, he can get any band, no matter how bad, to record an album *that sells*. The record label and the producer make all the money. The recording artist signs a userous contract that requires them to do a 30 city tour as lead-on for a top bill group. The band actually can make a lot of money touring, until they are drained and wind up at the Betty Ford clinic being treated for exhaustion, drug addiction, and the AIDS they got from some Ho or groupie the producer probably set them up with.
2. The laid-back version- The rich producer gets tired of this crap and *becomes* the record label. He actually seeks out talent and signs them, pays to produce their grammy-winning album, and occasionally even pays them. If you are good enough to sign with such a producer, congratulations. Usually such guys actually sign you because you *are* that good, not just because they can make money off of you. If you are working with George Martin or Al Schmitt, guess what? You really have made it.
3. The new school version.- This guy is an independant contractor, who is hired *by* the talent, instead of the other way around. If you don't like him, you can fire him. His job is to translate the vision of the recording artist into a CD, and help guide them through the process, sort of a recording consultant. He may be a useless waste of money, or a gift from God, worth every penny. He solves problems, and hands out reality checks instead of bank checks.
4. Hip-hop version- He steals beats from mostly copyrighted work, is good with samplers and sequencers, and provides background beats for gangsta-rappers. These have sprouted up by the thousands lately. They usually know nothing about real recording, but will always know where to get good blow. A handful of them actually have produced CD's that sold millions of copies, and once in a while, the recording artists actually see some of the piles of money generated. More often, they are incompetent hustlers who call themselves producers so they can get laid.
In all versions, this is the truth of it. A producer is a project manager, and in this case, the project is a CD. The producer is the hub that all information and all decisions pass through. He deals with the executive producer, who figures out how to pay for all of this. The executive producer usually deals with legal, copyright, work for hire agreements, residuals, mechanical royalties, bookeeping, tax records, duplication, distribution, and marketing. The producer deals with the talent, the tracking, mixing, and mastering engineers (any of whom may also be the producer). He deals with the artistic director, cover art, and the project photographer. Often he must be a vocal coach. In the end, he is really the guy that decides what songs will be on the album, in what order, and which version. He's the guy who can just say, "I don't like that with a telecaster, can I hear it on a Les Paul?"
I can tell you from personal experience that it is a tough job. Imagine flying a vocalist across the country to lay down vocals on a CD and having to tell them, "Thank you for you contribution, but your tracks weren't really compatible with our artistic vision. I'm sorry, but we weren't able to use your tracks." That's how a producer says, "You suck, and now I have to explain to the executive producer why we wasted a bunch of money flying you around. Keep your day job."
Well my day job is registered nurse, and the producer is a lot like the nurse in the hospital. They can't cure your disease (or give you talent). They aren't exactly in charge, but nothing can happen without them. Often they are the ones who have to tell people the things they don't want to hear, and a good one can make everything a little easier, often with a better outcome.-Richie
bubbagump
New member
Music producer = movie director. Same diff. And as Richie pointed out, movie directors go through the same steps as music producers. Perhaps that puts it in more familiar terms? A movie director pull sit all together and realizes what the movie will be. So maybe he has very specific instructions for the actors or lets them adlib. Maybe he wants a ton of special effects or wants a cozy old school movie. Maybe he works for a studio who says you HAVE to use a a guy ina gorilla suit or he works for himself and trys to sell his film to a studio like independant films. (Think Napolean Dynamie or Blair Witch.)
